The wind howled like a wounded beast as Aria and her group stood at the mouth of the Black Hollow mountains. The trees behind them twisted with unnatural shapes, and the fog ahead felt alive—watching, waiting.
They had made it this far, but Aria knew this next step would change everything.
She wasn't sure she'd come back from this mountain the same.
---
"This is the place," Raekon said quietly, holding up the glowing rune map. "The Temple of Aetheron lies inside. But the way is cursed."
Kael shifted beside Aria, his large hand hovering near his sword. "Cursed or not, we go in together."
Nyla cracked her knuckles. "At least it's not vampires again."
Lyra glanced up at the moon, red and swollen. "You sure about that?"
Aria stepped forward first, her red hair glimmering like fire in the moonlight. The stone archway of the mountain temple loomed before them, carved with runes older than any language she knew. She felt something stir beneath her skin—something ancient.
Seraphine's voice echoed in her mind: You carry both light and shadow. Choose wisely.
They stepped into the darkness.
---
The tunnel inside the mountain was suffocating. Runes flickered faintly along the walls as if reacting to Aria's presence. The deeper they went, the heavier the air became, like walking through memory and ash.
Kael kept to her side, silent but protective. Raekon muttered incantations under his breath. Nyla took point, blades drawn, while Lyra covered their rear.
Then they found it—the Temple.
It wasn't grand. It wasn't towering. It was quiet. Sacred. Forgotten.
An altar stood in the center, surrounded by a circle of cracked silver pillars. Atop the altar rested a stone sarcophagus.
Aria stepped forward, heart pounding. She touched the lid.
And the world exploded in light.
---
Visions surged through her.
A red-haired woman in silver armor—Lunaria.
Her wolf form, black as night.
Falling skies. Screaming gods.
Blood raining down a shattered throne.
A man cloaked in starlight reaching for her as fire consumed the world.
And a voice: "She who carries both moon and void must choose which to awaken."
When Aria awoke, she was alone.
---
"Aria!" Kael's voice broke through the void as she gasped back to consciousness.
She sat up quickly. The altar had crumbled.
Raekon looked at her in awe. "You... saw her, didn't you?"
She nodded. "I think... I think I saw how it ends."
Nyla's expression turned grave. "Then we better change it."
---
Later that night, camped at the temple's edge, Kael found Aria staring into the fire.
"You didn't just see the First Moonbound," he said. "You felt her."
Aria nodded. "She's part of me. Her legacy. Her curse. And her enemies."
Kael crouched beside her. "Whatever's coming, we'll face it."
She looked at him, haunted. "There was a wolf in the vision. Not silver like yours. Not white like legend. It was dark. So dark it swallowed light. And it was me."
He reached for her hand. "Even if you carry darkness, you're not lost."
"But what if I do lose myself, Kael? What if that wolf wins?"
His voice was steady. "Then I'll chase you through every shadow and drag you back."
She stared at him—and kissed him. Not out of passion, but desperation. Fear. Hope. A silent promise.
---
At dawn, Seraphine reappeared at the cliff's edge.
"The vampires march toward the Cradle of the Moon," she said. "They seek to awaken the Voidborn. You must reach it first."
Aria stood. "Then we leave now."
Seraphine held out a vial of silver liquid. "Drink this when the void claws at your heart. It won't save you. But it might delay the breaking."
Aria took it. "And what happens if I break anyway?"
Seraphine's smile was faint. "Then gods help us all."
---
As they rode away from the Temple, the sky pulsed red. The moon bled over the mountains. And far below, in the crypts of the Cradle, something vast and ancient opened its eyes.
The hunt for the Voidborn had begun.
To be continued....